Awesome game, obvious post but ya really see the difference in this team with all the vets playing, just slapped Phoenix around like some little bitches tonight with all our star players.

Santorelli most definitely has won a spot and should get the 3rd line center spot due to his above average puck skills, will get shuffled around with Richardson taking his spot in crucial defensive situations.Santos alone will help bring some offense in the bottom six!

Shinkaruk has elite NHL scoring ability. Horvat is a very safe/intelligent player, he's gotten better as this quick preseason has progressed. He'll dominate in juniors this season.

Good to see Torts keep Bur with RK on the 2nd line, honeybadger played well with the Sedins.

Horvat played a solid game. Shinkaruk - in my mind - was more noticeable in that he was out trying to make things happen all game. Didn't always work, but his nose was right in there for the Santorelli and Sestito goals. I also liked how he was messing it up with Stone later in the game. The kid has spunk and he has skill. I also noticed that they ended up playing together as the game wore on and you saw the effect.

Even so, I doubt we'll see either much longer.

Both of them play a top-6 type of game. Bo can play a 3rd line role but that's not what he or Shink were drafted to be. Better to send them back to Junior, let them play top 3 minutes and go to the WJHC. Unless Gillis and Torts get desperate, I just don't see them staying more than a couple of games into the regular season - maximum.

Gaunce, on the other hand, may be the keeper. He's a guy who I can see growing out of 3rd or 4th line minutes to be that staunch 3rd line centre or winger you always need (maybe a 2nd-liner out of necessity and not look out of place) but he can play that 3rd/4th line role now.

Weber looked good out there, which spells trouble for Corrado IMHO. Alberts has been a bit of a turn-style this preseason, but he plays physical and can be effective when he plays within himself. You can't teach size, and he has a mean streak which the team can use. Corrado has a bit of both and will likely be better than both Weber and Alberts in time, but I don't see him outdoing either at their respective styles of play right now. Methinks he's Chicago-bound, which ain't a bad thing.

Nice to see Edler and Garrison teeing off with point bombs. Not only does it keep the PKers guessing where the shot's coming from, but as the commentators were saying it opens up the low game over time.

At first I wrote this off as just a pre-season nothing in which we dressed almost our entire regular season lineup and they dressed less than half and played their backup goaltender. Then I looked again. Not too many Coyote regulars were missing, and Greiss is supposed to be an up and coming goaltender, and other than Sestito's goal, and perhaps Higgins, Smith wasn't going to be the difference. So really, Phoenix is just shit. I have no clue why Doan and Smith wanted to stay.

Absolutely loved what I saw from Horvat tonight, after reading all the whoa is us posts about him I was worried. Not at all now. He does the little things, and he does them well. He made some really nice passes out there, and didn't look out of place.

Everything I've read on here about Shinkaruk is spot on. Love the attitude, and love the nose for the net.

If Weber stays up we have 3 nice options on the point for the PP. He reminds me of a slightly bigger MA Bergeron.

I'm looking forward to watching 82 games of bombs away from Garrison, he also looks like he may have worked on his footwork a bit, he seemed to have a bit more jump in that first step at times. I even noticed Edler being more assertive from on the point tonight, hoping he proves me wrong about him.

The line of Higgins-Kesler-Burrows looks really nice out there. Saw some real chemistry.

Tanev his usual defensively responsible self.

The lone Coyote goal was vintage Lou. He's gotta squeeze those redirections off of the centering pass. Otherwise he was solid and got a nice bounce from his post.

The team as a whole looks more focused, and I am loving the attack the net mentality! Our net presence looked stronger tonight than it has in 3 seasons. Skaters coming from all 3 lanes, the puck went to the net and so did the weak side attacker.

Weber looked good out there, which spells trouble for Corrado IMHO. Alberts has been a bit of a turn-style this preseason, but he plays physical and can be effective when he plays within himself. You can't teach size, and he has a mean streak which the team can use. Corrado has a bit of both and will likely be better than both Weber and Alberts in time, but I don't see him outdoing either at their respective styles of play right now. Methinks he's Chicago-bound, which ain't a bad thing.

Agree so I looked up his previous stats.. He has never proved himself as a goal scorer with Montreal.. His total production over the last 5 years ( mind you he was not in the lineup too much ) was 5 goals.. So maybe tonight was a one/off ? Luongo looked shakey at the start of the game but settled down and looked solid and had a great game..was surprised how well Hansen fit in with the twins.. It will be interesting to see how well he plays in the next few games before Kassian gets back.. Kassian might not get to play with the twins if Hansen keeps playing well I agree Santorelli looks good as the 3rd line center.. Maybe the 4th line spot will be Richardrsons? or Gaunce ? It was great to see the Canucks forechecking so well.. Although the Coyotes were missing Doan and Ribeiro plus playing a back up goaltender .. It was good to see all 4 lines rolling well and offence from our defence..

If this is the style of play we are going to see under Torts, then I must say I am cautiously optimistic. Lots of shots, crash the net, the defensemen were heavily engaged, special teams were good and the team had lots of energy. Not much to complain about overall, and looks like a damn good recipe for success.

Richardson, Santorelli and Weber look like solid depth signings. I expect somewhat of a drop-off from these three as the season grinds on, but they are playing very well right now and a drop-off can be tolerated. Richardson is a better skater than I remembered, and Santorelli’s versatility will definitely come in handy.

Luongo had a nice bounce back outing. The Sedins and Kesler were fine (no obvious signs of aging from this TSN branded “veteran, aging core”…heh).

The veterans look healthy, hungry and happy out there. Strong games from all of them. I loved all the shots from Garrison and Edler, who both seemed to be skating very well.

I thought this was one of the better bottom six outings we have seen in a long while. Despite handling the puck like me, even Sestito looked playable last night, but I still have serious doubts about a fourth like that plays Weise AND Sestito together with regularity.

Shinkaruk, Horvat and Gaunce clearly can play the game. Gaunce had another point blank chance that could have resulted in his third goal if not for a good save by Greiss. This was Horvat’s best game by far, and he displayed some great vision and passing ability out there. Shinkaruk just always seems to be on the puck and in the right areas offensively. He sticks his nose right into every play and makes things happen offensively.

Overall, this has been a really promising camp from all three. I would love for all three to make the team, but the reality is that there just isn’t space in the top six. My guess is that they stay up for their nine games or less and are sent back down to junior when Kassian and Booth return.